Page 77 of The Charm of You

I can only imagine the secrets and rumors tossed around here.

“So it is a superpower, then. Your very own coffee-mobile, where you’re Sapphire Creek’s most unsuspecting spy.”

“You caught me,” she says, holding her hands up and playing along. “I heard something else interesting too. I mean, not as interesting as you and Austin, but interesting, nonetheless. Dull, really, but?—”

“Out with it,” I say, repeating my earlier words since she’s rambling and beating around the bush again.

“Nathan is not coming to the reunion, after all.”

“Oh?” I lift a brow and keep my gaze trained on her, ready to pick up on any change in her expression.

After all, Nathan, or Nate, as we all called him back when, was her boyfriend in high school. Maren hasn’t talked about him much this week, and I wouldn’t know any details about his life after graduation if the ladies around here didn’t have such large mouths. From what I heard at Bready or Knot, he got married soon after high school, and he has a daughter.

According to Lisa’s dramatic retelling of Nathan’s past over her coffee and an uneaten scone, he and his wife divorced a few years back.

For a brief second, Maren slumps onto the bench like she’s attempting to disappear inside a metaphorical shell. As quickly as I notice it, she squares her shoulders and straightens her posture again. “Like I said, not super interesting, but just something I heard yesterday. Haven’t talked to Addie to confirm, not that I care enough to do as much, but thought I’d share with you.”

“Right.” It’s my turn to give her a sympathetic smile. “How long has it been since you last saw him?” I ask with caution.

She chews on the inside of her cheek, averting her gaze this way and that like she’s mentally tallying up the time past. “Probably two years ago,” she finally says. “His parents still live here, so he comes around every now and then with Teagan, his daughter. She’s adorable.”

A pinch in my heart gives me pause. Maren means the last part with her whole being. I remember a time when she was planning her future with Nate. How big and lavish their wedding would be. The number of kids they’d have.

But she and Nate didn’t survive the summer after high school graduation.

“Duty calls.” Maren nods over my shoulder and rises from the table to assist her customers.

I sit with the echoes of our conversation as company, along with the soft whooshes of the swaying trees in this park. The sun is warming up the day. The temperatures slowly rise with each passing minute, and my skin tingles from the sun’s rays.

I welcome it. Right now, New York is experiencing much colder temperatures in comparison, and I don’t miss that. Fall and winter up North are not something I’ve ever gotten accustomed to.

This morning has had ups and downs, but as I revel in the fresh air and soft heat across my cheeks, I’m hopeful for the rest of the day.

I might be far away from my reality, but I’m home with the best of friends, my mama, and a surprisingly quirky mechanic.

And I’m not done with the latter.

chapter

twenty-three

AUSTIN

“You left so early this morning. Did you have time for breakfast?” My mom pulls a casserole dish from the oven and shuffles to the table, where I sit. Cat eyes stare back at me from the oven mitts covering her hands.

“I’m fine,” I assure her. “I had coffee this morning.”

“Coffee isn’t breakfast, and it’s after twelve now. You should eat.” She sets the dish down and shuffles into the kitchen.

“I came by to bring you food, not the other way around,” I remind her.

“And I appreciate you bringing some groceries, but they’re for dinner tonight,” she tosses back.

I sigh, giving in and accepting the fork and plate she brings. There’s no use in arguing with her. When it comes to food, she always wins.

She sinks into the seat across from me and makes her own plate. With the curtains wide open across the bay window next to us, the entire street is visible from here. The sunny day stretches around us as I devour mouthful after mouthful of whatever cheesy chicken concoction this is.

Days like these where I’m ahead of the load at the shop—which is more often than not—I can stop by the house and have lunch with Ma. It’s definitely preferable to grabbing a quick bite from Lucy’s.

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